My Sweet Pepper Land

A very nice film, with many good qualities.

First of all the cast: the pretty (and talented) Golshifteh Farahani and the less known but equally intriguing Korkmaz Arslan, together with several convincing actors in supporting roles. Interestingly, neither Farahani nor Aslan are Kurds (she is Iranian and he is Turkish…).

Then we have the undisputed talent of Mr Hiner Saleem (who really is Kurd), whose filmography already has gained him a well deserved fan base.

Finally, you'll see Kurdistan. The ugly, cold Kurdistan with its stony hills and gaunt landscapes. Poor, superstitious and dangerously undeveloped, with its violent attitude and undersized rides. And you won't be able to help but like it.

Kurdish director Hiner Saleem's My Sweet Pepper Land is set in the newly autonomous state of Iraqi Kurdistan which is facing fundamental existential challenges from neighbouring Turkey, Iran and Syria as well as the local chieftains who are yet to come to terms with their newly elected democratic government and rule of law. The picture opens with a darkly comical scene involving the newly autonomous state's first legal execution by hanging of a prisoner which undergoes a muddled process.

The movie is about the struggle faced by the two protagonists - yesteryear war hero turned reluctant policeman Baran (an intense Korkmaz Arslan) and a schoolteacher striving to educate the kids Govend (a radiant Golshifteh Farahani) - at a remote village of Qamriyan on the Turkish border. Both Baran and Govend chose the remote village over lucrative careers in urban areas to escape the hounding to get married from their respective homes. The village has only two telephones and a bar/eatery named "Pepper Land" and by virtue of being on the border between Iraq and Turkey is notorious for smuggling and other illegal activities. These activities take place under the patronage of the local warlord Aziz Aga who is a powerful man and controls the village with his army of trigger-happy, lecherous goons.

The village is also steeped in conservative tradition and misogynistic ideas. Both Baran and Govend find themselves at loggerheads with Aziz Aga who wants to lord over the village and find their new ideas of rule of law and education for children as threats to his control over the village. We also see a budding romance between Baran and Govend as they stand by each other in their struggle. There is also an all-women band of armed Kurds waging war against Turkey for liberating the Kurds across the border.

What follows is an aesthetically mounted Western-esque adventure set in the breathtaking rocky remoteness of the border village. The story is set to happen in 2003, immediately after the death of Saddam Hussein whose regime had brutally oppressed the Kurdish regions and the region was given autonomy and democracy under the new establishment. While the horse riding, gun toting adventure is the mainstay of the movie, there are subtle indicators to the backwardness of the region, struggles faced by the few modernists, lack of rule of law and other challenges faced by the people inhabiting this region.

Arslan, with his an invincible and rugged looks, is convincing as the yesteryear war hero-cum-present day law enforcer, Baran who is chivalrous and enjoys Elvis, Bach and Mozart. The immaculate Golshifteh Farahani is completely natural as the modern teacher determined to bring education to the kids of the village despite the odds she has to face from her own family and the local goons. Both Arslan and Farahani share a comfortable chemistry and have a significant screen presence which aids the movie a great deal.

While by no means an epic or even an extraordinary movie, the director, Hiner Saleem, deserves plaudits for narrating an entertaining story which presents a contemporary take on the Western genre with elements of dark humour and setting it in such remote lesser known lands. The movie also boasts of some excellent technical credits including first-rate cinematography which captures the mountainous landscapes in their bleak, yet, beguiling beauty and a charming score comprising of diverse influences. My Sweet Pepper Land was presented as an entry under the Un Certain Regard category of the Cannes Film Festival, 2013 and since then, been a part of several international film festival including the Bangalore International Film Festival (BIFFES-2013).

Went in expecting a badly executed campy kurdish take on the western but came away quite surprised how pleasing the result was. Not a lot of suspense or heroics but a refreshingly honest depiction, from the struggles of newfound national liberation to the minefield of local customs & traditions an individual is forced to navigate. The music is splendid as are the shots, Korkaz Arisan's hard faced acting bringing perfection to his role as the macho local man of law. The new sheriff's appointment rocks the boat and brings to the fore a host of local issues, underlying tensions & supressed conflicts. Much of the runtime is spent on Baran wading through these problems, trying to keep the peace but also asserting himself as the Law and signalling not so unsubtly, that the old days of the local mafia are over. But its not all hard jawed men staring off & making veiled threats, there are also unexpected moments of comic relief & unspoken love in the between, making the short runtime of 88 mins pass by quickly. The conclusion is reached rather unexpectedly, without the traditional standoff; my only quibble is that it lacks the amount of tension a western needs, making it a bit subdued. Nevertheless, it still stands as a unique film rooted in kurdish life.

A good Kurdistan Western movie...but I don't like the hidden political messages. The sign of Pepperland and Police are all on English, they like western music, wearing western hat when shot down the local chief. As only the western ideology can save the people there.

The idea and story are good. The landscape tells a lot itself. Movie starts very promising, especially when the old mum is presenting potential brides :) The role of woman is also depicted very well. She was empowered by her family and made her own choice to work where she feels needed.

Movie overall is beautiful and is worth to watch. But the tools used to reveal the characters are too western. I did not meet my expectations of seeing anything about brave Kurds, about their moral codex, love and war. To me, director failed to find a equilibrium between grotesque (first part of movie) and Kurds' traditions.